Anti-terror demonstration planned in San Jose

Peace and justice activists will picket today at the downtown San Jose building of a company they claim provides logistics for "torture flights" conducted by the CIA.

Members of the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center and their supporters will march from the San Jose Diridon Caltrain station at 11:40 a.m. today to the offices of Jeppesen, a Boeing subsidiary, at 225 W. Santa Clara Street, where they will conduct a protest and informational picket at noon.

Peace and Justice organizers say that Jeppesen, which provides aviation logistics, charting and navigation systems, provided the logistics for the CIA's so-called "extraordinary rendition" flights, which the peace group is calling "torture flights," that transported suspected terrorists.

"The timing (of this event) is good in that we just had this very powerful report from Physicians for Human Rights released this week about the torture and abuse of terror suspects in U.S. custody," said Paul George, executive director of Peninsula Peace and Justice Center.

A spokesperson for Jeppesen declined to comment on the activity.

About 15 organizations are involved in planning the demonstration and more than 150 people are expected to participate, George said.

They plan to read from the depositions of three people who are suing Jeppesen for complicity in their alleged torture, and that George says were suspected terrorists later found not guilty and released.

A vigil at the same Jeppesen office is also scheduled for July 26 to coincide with the anniversary of the effective date of the United Nation's Convention Against Torture, the peace group said in a statement.